The Gospel for WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2005 (St. Alban)
Luke 22:14-23
When the time came he took his place at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have ardently longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; because, I tell you, I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then, taking a cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and share it among you, because from now on, I tell you, I shall never again drink wine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you. ‘But look, here with me on the table is the hand of the man who is betraying me. The Son of man is indeed on the path which was decreed, but alas for that man by whom he is betrayed!’ And they began to ask one another which of them it could be who was to do this. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
Do This
This last commandment is one we have ritualized the best.
A Reflection
Based on my own performance, I wonder if our ritualization adds to the efficacy of the Sacrament, or detracts from it.
When we read about the two men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, we are told that He was revealed to them in the breaking of the bread. And after the Resurrection, He shared broken bread and fish -- that He cooked for them!
Jesus' ministry had an anchor in table fellowship. It was central to His message. He accepted sinners and tax collectors at the meals he hosted, defiantly disregarding the separation that other reformers insisted on, keeping holy Jews away from impure Gentiles.
We have reduced the Eucharist, in our liturgical churches, to a ceremony that lacks almost all the other natures of eating with friends at table . We take comfort in it, but for many it is their only "church." Just as we cannot live on bread alone, neither does the Eucharist provide more than just a glimpse and a taste of the Word.
Eucharist is, as mathematicians are fond of saying about certain proofs, "necessary, but not sufficient." Eucharist lets us carry out a command He gave us. But it is only one of many He gave us.
I wish He had said "Do this, also, in remembrance of me."
The Collect
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Alban triumphed over suffering and was faithful even unto death: Grant to us, who now remember him with thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
4:23:58 PM 
|
|
